Method of activating shoe stiffeners



March 3, 1964 J. 5. KAMBORIAN 3,122,763

METHOD OF ACTIVATING SHOE STIFFENERS Filed Jan. 10, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I0 34 J6 IXXAXIXXAAAAI FIG-Z F 6.- INVENTOR.

Jacob S. Kambor/an March 3, 1964 J. s. KAMBORIAN 3,122,763

METHOD OF ACTIVATING SHOE STIFFENERS Filed Jan. 10, 1962 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Jacob S. Kambor/an FIG-3 (Ill/J ii T5532; v

VIII/II March 3, 1964 J. S. KAMBORIAN METHOD OF ACTIVATING SHOE STIFFENERS Filed Jan. 10, 1962 FIG-B 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Jacob S. Kombor/an back to ambient temperatures.

United States Patent C) in pending application Serial No. 80,919, filed Jannary 5, 1961, there is disclosed a rnetnod of counter forming and heel seat lasting utilizing a thermoplastic counter that is rigid at ambient temperatures, and becomes flaccid and moldable when heated above a predetermined temperature and reverts to its rigid state when cooled In practicing the said method, the counter is inserted in a counter pocket at the heel end of a shoe upper and is then heated above the predetermined temperature. The counter and upper are then placed on a last and subjected to stresses that cause the now flaccid counter to conform to the shape of the last. -'Wl1ile these stresses are maintained, the heel end of the upper is lasted, and the stresses are released after the termination of the heel seat lasting operation and after the counter has cooled sufficiently to revert to its rigid state.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a method for heating the counter to the desired temperature.

Dry heat from a heat lamp is utilized for this purpose. However, it has been found that when the counter is heated by the heat lamp to a temperature sufficient to render it flaccid, the leather forming the counter pocket is scorched, shrunk and otherwise distorted. In order to overcome this undesirable result, the counter and upper are engulfed in steam while the dry heat from the lamp is applied. The steam appears .to replace the moisture that is epsporated by the dry heat from the lamp. In any event, the efiect of the steam is to avoid the deleterious conditons in the leather of the counter pocket created by the dry heat.

The steam is provided by a steam pot having a receptacle for containing a quantity of water and electric heating cartridges embedded therein for converting the water into steam. A supply source of water is connected to the pot and a conduit extends from the supply source through a passageway in the steam pot and then into the receptacle so that water goin from the supply source to the receptacle is preheated during its movement through the pot. A wall extending upwardly of the pot has a plurality of heat lamps mounted therein. The wall also has support fingers mounted therein for supporting an upper adjacent each lam and guard fingers mounted therein that extend about the lamps.

in a second embodiment of the invention, the support and guard fin ers are eliminated and a b aille is provided that is supported on the steam pot and encloses the heat lamp so that steam arising from the pot is directed against the shoe upper and counter supported at the top of the baffle. With this arrangement the rising steam passes and is heated by the lamp before coming into contact with the upper and counter supported at the top of the bafile.

Reference is now had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a view, partially in section, taken on line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a detail taken on line 4-- of FIGURE 3.

FlGURE 5 is a showing of the heel end of the upper, the counter pocket and the counter;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the bafile;

FIGURE 7 is a section of the apparatus showing the bafile mounted on the steam pot; and

FIGURE 8 is a View taken on line 8-8 of FIGURE 7.

assures Patented Mar. 3, 1964 'ice The device comprises a steam pot 1% having legs 12 which enable the pot to be supported on a subjacent surface. A sheet 14 of thermally insulative material is secured by fasteners 16 to the bottom of the pot 1d. The pot includes a receptacle 123 for storing a quantity of water, and a screen 20, secured to the pot by fasteners 22., extends over the receptacle. Braces 23 extending rearwardly of the pot are connected to a funnel '24. The funnel includes a cup 25 and a plurality of ribs 26 adapted to support an inverted jug 23 of water. A conduit extends from the funnel to the receptacle so that, in the conventional manner, the Water level in the cup 2-5, at the neck of the jug and in the'receptacle 13 is maintained at the same level.

Adjacent its bottom, the pot 10 has an arcuate horizontally extending passageway 34 that intersects the rear of the pot at its ends 35 and 38. The passageway between its ends forms a loop that goes around the block adjacent its side edges in a horizontal plane. The conduit comprises a length of tubing 3%) that is connected at one end to the cup 25 by a nipple 32 and is connected at its other end to the pot it by nipple 4d, the nipple 32 being in communication with a well 42 in the cup 25 and the nipple 4% being in communication with the receptacle 18. The tubing extends from the nipple 32 into the passageway end 3-5, loops through the passageway 34, exits from the passageway end 38 and then loops upwardly to the nipple A hole 44 extending through the pot 10 beneath the receptacle 1% and above the passageway 34 receives a pair of electric heating cartridges 45.

An upwardly extending wall 48 is connected to the rear of the pot ill by fasteners 52' and two upwardly extending divider plates 52 are connected to the wall 48 to extend forwardly thereof and thereby divide the wall into three sections. An opening 54 is provided in each wall section to accommodate the base 56 of a conventional heat lamp 518. Each lamp 5% includes a resistance coil as that is connected to a source of electric current. Current flowing through the coil causes the coil to heat and provide heat to its environs through radiation. Mounting brackets 62 are secured to the rear of the wall 48 adjacent each wall opening 54 by fasteners 64 and each lamp base 56 is fastened to a bracket 52 by fasteners 66 (see FIGURE 4). A guard rail 63 may be provided that is secured to the rear of the wall by fastners ill, the guard rail encompassing the lamp bases 5'5 and brackets 62.

A pair of support fingers 72. are secured to the wall 48 and extend forwardly of the wall below each lamp 58. Three guard fingers 74 are secured to the wall 43 and extend forwardly thereof adjacent each larnp S8 to encompass the lamps.

As aforesaid, the apparatus is used to activate a thermoplastic shoe counter that is inserted in a counter pocket preparatory to performing a counter molding and heel seat lasting operation in accordance with the method described in pending application Serial No. 30,919, filed January 5, 1%1. The work used in practicing this method comprises a shoe upper 76 having a liner 78 stitched to its inside surface at its heel end by stitching 8%) to thereby form a counter pocket, the upper and liner preferably being made of leather. The counter pocket receives a counter 5. 2 that is made of a thermoplastic, homogeneous base sheet coated on its sides with a film of thermoplastic adhesive. Reference is made to the aforementioned application Serial No. 8%,919 and to pending application Serial No. 134,641, filed August 29, 1961, for examples of materials out of which the counter may be fashioned. In carrying out the method of application Serial No. 80,919, the counter must be activated by heating it to a temperature at which the normally rigid base sheet bev =2 comes flaccid and moldable and the normally rigid and highly cohesive films become tacky and less cohesive.

In using the apparatus, the jug 28, filled with Water, is inverted into the funnel 24 with the neck 29 of the jug resting on the ribs 26. The water fills the well 42 and passes through the tubing 3%} into the receptacle 18 until the level of the water in both the receptacle and the well is level with the jug neck .29. The heaters 46 and lamps 58 are now turned on. The heaters 46 serve to heat the water in the receptacle 18 and convert it into steam. As the level of the water in the receptacle diminishes and falls below the level of the jug neck 29 due to evaporation, it is replaced by new water from the well 42 until it rises again to the level of the jug neck. The portion of the tubing 30 in the passageway'34 is heated by the heaters 4 6 so that the new water is pre-heated above its original temperature prior to entering the receptacle :18. It has been found that when the new water enters the receptacle 18 at its original temperature it tends to reduce the production of steam until the new water is heated above its original temperature. By pre-heating the water in the described manner, prior to the entrance of the water into the receptacle, the rate of steam production is enhanced and remains substantially constant.

A workpiece comprisin a shoe upper having a counter located in its counter pocket is now supported heel end down on the support fingers 72 as indicated in FIGURE 1 with the heel of the upper and the counter located between the heat lamp 58 and the receptacle 18. The dry heat radiating from the lamp 58 serves to heat and activates the counter. At the same time, steam rising from the receptacle l8 envelops the upper, counter and liner assembly. In order to activate the counter, its tempera ture must be raised by the lamp 53 to a level that normally scorches, shrinks or otherwise deleteriously afiiects the leather out of which the upper and liner are made, 300 F. being a typical temperature to which the counter is raised.

The moist atmosphere provided by the steam, in which the upper and liner are enveloped while they are heated by the lamp 58, serves to prevent the occurrence of these undesirable effects on the upper and liner. In addition, the steam serves to soften the upper leather and render it more pliable for the subsequently performed lasting operation. The guard fingers 7 lprevent the upper from directly contacting the lamp 58. After the counter has been heated to the desired temperature, the workpiece is removed from the apparatus and is subjected to the lasting and counter forming operations described in the aforementioned application Serial No. 80,919, filed January 5, 1961, and a new workpiece is placed in the apparatus. By providing three heat lamps 58 and three pairs of support fingers 72, three workpieces at a time may be treated in the apparatus.

FIGURES 6 through 8 show a baffle 84 which may be used both to support the work and to channel the steam 'thereagainst; The battle is a rectangular open-bottomed and open-topped frame formed by a front wall 86, a rear wall 8% and two side walls 99., The walls 86 and 8?: have convex extensions 92 that rise upwardly of the horizontal upper edges 94- of the Walls 9% Screening 96 extends across the top of the balfie from the top of one extension 92 to the top of the other extension. A hole 98 is provided in the rear Wall 8-8 of a size to accommodate the lamp 58.

When using the battle '84, the fingers 72 and 74 are removed, and the bafile is placed on top of the pot 10 with its open bottom extending across the receptacle 1%. In this position, the lamp 58 extends through the hole 93 into the interior of the bafile as indicated in FIGURE 8 and the rear bafile wall 88 bears against the wall 48. The work is placed on the bafile toe end down so that the inside or" the heel of the upper, the counter pocket and the counter rest on the screening 96 and substantially cover the opening at the top of the bafile as indicated in phantom in FIGURE 7. The steam in rising from the receptacle is directed by the baflle walls directly against the work, and is not dissiptated elsewhere. Some of the steam however, goes around the interior of the upper through the screen 96 and bears against the exterior of the upper. The baffle walls also serve to concentrate the heat radiating from the lamp 53 and direct it against the work so that the counter is heated more rapidly. In addition, by interposing the lamp 58 between the receptacle 18 and the work supporting screen 96, the lamp serves to heat the steam during its upward movement toward the work and thereby inhibits premature condensation of the steam on the walls of the bafile.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications which fall within the scope of the appended claim. While the disclosure describes a shoe stiffener in the form of a shoe counter located at the heel end of the shoe upper, the method and apparatus may be used as well in conjunction with a box toe stiffener located at the top end of the upper.

-I claim:

A method of activating a shoe stifiener comprising: providing a shoe upper having a stiffener that is rigid at ambient temperatures and becomes flaccid and moldable when heated above a predetermined temperature positioned at the interior of an end of the upper; providing a source of steam and a source of dry heat; and supporting said upper end and stilfener spacedly from and between said sources whereby the dry heat heats the stiffener above said predetermined temperature to thereby convert it to its flaccid, moldable state and the steam concomitantly engulfs said end of the upper to prevent the dry heat from deleteriously affecting the upper.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,340,825 Furber May 18, 1920 1,396,160 Brock 1 Nov. 8, 1921 2,206,275 FWoodberry July 2, 1940 2,305,689 Gross et a1. Dec. 22, 1942 2,611,195 rophy et a l Sept. 23, 1952 2,633,583 Maeser et al Apr. 7, 1953 2,970,331. Gaquin Feb. 7, 1961 2,973,531 Bromfield Mar. 7, 1961 

